Kaththea the Sorceress called forth a power such as no longer existed on the distant planet known as the Witch World. It was a power so great that it could destroy all that she loved best – and might even prove to be a greater evil than the shadow itself. Yet there could be no other choice for Kaththea than to call on Hilarion in the death-naming. For she was a witch deprived of power and she needed a guide to regain her lost skills and her lost world. There was only this ancient one, the opener of gates, with force mighty enough.

Write-up from the back of the ACE paperback editions ~

“I Summon Your Banner!”With these words, Kaththea the sorceress called forth a power such as no longer existed on the distant planet known as the Witch World. It was a power so great that it could destroy all that she loved best – and might even prove to be a greater evil than the shadow itself.Yet there could be no other choice for Kaththea than to call on Hilarion in the death-naming. For she was a Witch deprived of power and she needed a guide to regain her lost skills and her lost world. There was only the ancient one, the opener of gates, with force mighty enough….Sorceress of the Witch World completes and rounds out Andre Norton’s fabulous series.

Write-up from the back of the 1970 UK paperback edition ~

Snatched by her warlock brother from a citadel of the Shadow, Kaththea was bereft of her ancient wisdom and still tainted by the evil of the Dark Ones, an emptiness into which something alien tried to pour itself. In her search for healing and the regaining of her witch-power she passed through a gate into a stronghold of the very Power which threatened the existence of her world. And there in the centre of the web of evil, was the one who could prove the salvation of Escore, the creator and opener of gates who alone could summon strength enough to destroy or save all that she loved best.

Write-up from the front flap of the Gregg Press edition ~

BEREFT by evil enchantment of her witch’s power and believing her very presence dangerous, Kaththea took leave of Escore and all she held dear. Until she regained her magic, the Shadow that threatened Escore could enter the land through her. Kaththea’s power was restored, but by means she never forsaw. Her quest began with a galling apprenticeship to a tribal Wise Woman and then carried her through a gate in time and space. In the world beyond the gate Kaththea found and rescued Hilarion, an adept of the Old Race who could prove a powerfull ally to Escore—or a dreadful enemy.Fifth in the series of Andre Norton's Witch World novels, Sorceress of the Witch World concludes the sage of the three children of the House of Tregarth: Kyllan the Warrior (Three Against the Witch World), Kemoc the Seer (Warlock of the Witch World), and Kaththea the Sorceress. This new edition of Sorceress of the Witch World features special endleave maps of the Witch World by Barbi ]ohnson.

Write-up from the back of the 1988 UK paperback edition ~

At the very heart of evil lay hope… if only the broken sorceress had the power to seek it out!In the month of the Ice Dragon the Shadow came hunting Kaththea; through her dreams stalked a power she’d meddled with before. Striped of her ancient knowledge for her betrayal in the Black Citadel, the sorceress shivered naked before the blast of an alien force. Her weakness, she, knew, was a danger to those she loved most dearly – from her mind the Dark One could forge a weapon to strike them once more.So Kaththea renounced the warmth of the Green Valley and, alone and unaided, sought a restoration of the once-noble witch-power. Help would come, but from a quarter she had hardly dared to expect it… from the dust of years would step a figure she had lost hope of ever seeing again.“If the Witch World had never been written, so many other worlds would be poorer.” – C.J. Cherryh“Rich, brilliant, superbly imaginative.” – Lin Carter“Her story telling gift is phenomenal” – Anne McCaffrey

Write-up from a Gregg Press sales flyer ~

Now that she has lost her witch power, Kaththea worries that she will become a gate for the evil forces of Shadow to enter the safe places of Escore and sets out to seek the aid of the Witches of Escarp in regaining her power. Swept up by an avalanche in the mountains, she is captured by the primitive and savage Vupsall tribe. Their leader, Ifeng, forces her to become the tribal seeress, but after she fails to foresee an enemy attack, she seizes the chance to flee. Drawn through an interdimensional gate, Kaththea finds herself in a sterile world inhabited by the Kolder-like Zandur. Her fear turns to amazement and delight when she discovers her parents, Simon and Jaelithe, still captive after many years. Through the combined use of their powers and with the help of Hilarion, an old God of Escore, they all escape to the Green Valley and there, reunited with Kemoc and Orsya, Kyllan and Dahaun, they deal the final blow to the Shadow, regaining the golden peace of Escore's past.

Write-ups from fans ~

This is a powerful (no pun intended) tale of fall and redemption of Kaththea Tregarth. At the end of Worlock of the Witch World, she was duped into aiding an evil sorcerer and lost her powers as a witch. She decides to travel back to Estcarp for healing. She never makes it and is rescued from an avalanche by a tribe of nomads with a dying Wise Woman who offers to train Kaththea in the ways of magic. Kaththea learns how to do magic enough to help the tribe survive, but then traps her to take over when the old one dies. Slowly she figures out how to escape, when the tribe is attacked. She and a girl from the village hide in a ruined fortress and pass through a Gate into another world. There, she finds the owner of the fortress who is imprisoned and enslaved in this new world. In her attempts to free him, she contacts her Parents who are looking for a Gate back to Estcarp. They escape and walk into a battle against deadly evil. Can they trust the new Adept that they had just met? Can Kaththea trust herself? ~ PG

1968’s Sorceress of the Witch World picks up where Warlock of the Witch World left off. Kaththea is still recovering from being stripped of her magic by her brother (done to save her from a mistaken alliance with the extremely hunky forces of darkness). When she is separated from her friends by an avalanche, her magic cannot save her.However, her magical potential can get her into more trouble Kaththea is captured by Vupsall nomads before she can die of starvation and exposure. They see a use for her: their Wise Woman needs a successor. Kaththea’s magic is not …. ~ JNRead More…

NOTE: this release has been erroneously placed on many lists in the past but really is somewhat questionable.

Rodney Mathews completed eight paintings for the “Witch World” series published by Universal. Unfortunately three of them were never released as book covers. “Sorceress of the Witch World”, “Warlock of the Witch World” and “Year of the Unicorn”. [SEE: Rodney Matthews’ cover-art]

“Witch World”, “Web of the Witch World” and “Three Against the Witch World” also published by Universal have the same 10 digit ISBN as the Tandem releases of 1970, we are making the assumption that this could hold true with this edition.

Lost Lands of Witch World (2004) Published by TOR, HC, 0-765-30052-4, LCCN 2003071153, $27.95, 445pg ~ cover by Daniel Dos Santos ~ Omnibus containing Three Against the Witch World (1965), Warlock of the Witch World (1967) & Sorceress of the Witch World (1968)

(1991) Published in Warsaw, Poland; by Amber, 83-854-2340-0, 223pg ~ translation by by Ewa Witecka ~ cover by Steve Crisp ~ Polish title Czarodziejka ze Świata Czarownic [Sorceress from the World of Witches]

(1992) Combined with "Year of the Unicorn" "The Crystal Gryphon" and "Spell of the Witch World" ~ Published in Novosibirsk, by EYA, 5-872-16014-3, HC, 448pg ~ cover by M. Mikhalev ~ Russian title Колдовской мир [Witch World]

(1992) Combined with "Year of the Unicorn" and "Spell of the Witch World" ~ Published in Moscow, by Interbook, 5-766-40814-5, HC, 348pg ~ cover by V. Kurilov ~ Russian title Год Единорога [Year of the Unicorn]

(1993) Combined with "Three Against the Witch World" and "Warlock of the Witch World" ~ Published in Angarsk, by Amber and Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-863-14011-9, HC, 512pg ~ Russian title Колдовской мир [Witch World]

(2004) Combined with "Witch World" translation by Sergey Stepanov, "Web of the Witch World" and "Three Against the Witch World" translation by A. Pakhomov and "Warlock of the Witch World" translation by N. I. Lebedev ~ Published in Moscow, by Eksmo and St. Petersburg, by Domino, 5-699-06536-9, HC, 848pg ~ "Sorceress of the Witch World" translation by A. Smirnova ~ cover by I. Zhmaylova and Y. Katashinskaya ~ Russian title Колдовской мир [Witch World]

(2005) Combined with "Witch World", "Web of the Witch World", "Three Against the Witch World", "Warlock of the Witch World" and "Year of the Unicorn" ~ Published in Moscow, by Ermak and AST, 5-170-26909-9 and 5-957-71700-2, HC, 976pg ~ translation by A. Grusberg and Oleg Kolesnikov ~ Cover by Luis Royo ~ Russian title Колдовской Мир [Witch World]

(2005) Combined with "Witch World", Web of the Witch World", "Three Against the Witch World", "Warlock of the Witch World" and "Year of the Unicorn" ~ Published in Moscow by AST, 5-170-26911-0 and 5-957-71699-5, HC , 976pg ~ translation by A. Grusberg and Oleg Kolesnikov ~ LIMITED to 2000 copies ~ Russian title Колдовской Мир [Witch World]